These townhouses are distinctly modern yet try to retain the low-rise character of the Rockaways and encourage socialization through front and back porches. The main feature here is the low dip in the eave-line. The buildings are all completely fireproof. Similar townhouses nearby with large center gardens demonstrate the likely success of this development.
This residence was a product of the era, an L-shaped structure on a large corner plot with an unusual low asphalt-shingle roof that included a dome shape with three octagonal windows over the central entrance. These windows overlooked an open cathedral-style entrance and a spiral staircase for access to the second floor. The awards description also states that all rooms led off the central hallway like spokes on a wheel. The main living space also included a sunken living room with floor to ceiling windows. The exterior was clad in Sayre and Fisher brick, a longstanding brick manufacturer from New Jersey that experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s but closed in 1970. The Capanegro residence was demolished in 2004 and replaced by two McMansions.
Dr. Kestler’s residence is one of several mixed use sites featured on Queens Modern and still serving as both a medical office and residence today. The building is built into a sloping corner hillside so that the medical office is approachable at grade from the main thoroughfare of Crocheron Avenue while the residential entrance is on the second level, hidden from street view and accessible from the side street. Building materials include brick, stone and wood shingles. The overall feeling is one of horizontality and melding well within the landscape.
This narrow two-story residence sits on a steep bluff with the rear of the property looking out over Alley Pond Park. The front elevation is distinguished by a one story wing projecting toward the street and clad in Featherock, a natural volcanic stone. There are minimal windows visible from the street. The frame of the house is cantilevered, both the walls and floors over a reinforced poured foundation to account for the siting.
Unfortunately a rarity even by 1970, the Rose Ann Shearin Residence is an extant example of a woman-designed building, in this case by a woman named Rose Ann Shearin who designed it to evoke a West Coast aesthetic. The house is clad in white brick known as White Marsh designed to give it an an aged patina and the top floor incorporates a mansard roof. Wood-fronted balconies on both upper floors supported by columns have subsequently been removed.